Powered Box Car Project

[jonathan]

Good morning!

Here's a little project to start the day:

I don't model anything past 1960 anymore.  That leaves some of my equipment without a job.  I've managed to sell off most of my modern era rolling stock, but there are still a few pieces laying around... Perfectly good stuff, just not real marketable.

So... here's an FP40H that use to be a Spectrum model years ago:



Two screws remove the shell, a little maintenance, and you have a perfectly good power source.  It's heavy, by the way, will probably pull more a lot more freight than passenger cars:



I really wanted to use a steam era 40 foot box car to hide the mechanism, but too many modification would have been required.  I really didn't want to grind on the frame. You never know when you need to put your FP40H back together again.

Here an old Athearn 50' box car that will serve as a good stand in:



I had to do a little razor saw work on the shell to get it onto the loco frame:





There's a dead space when the box car shell sits on the loco frame.  It acts like a speaker baffle.  To get it quiet, I rolled up a paper towel to fill the dead space:



Worked great.  Hmmmm...  room for a decoder if I ever fall to the darkside.

Now All I need is a little paint and a little weathering.  The trucks won't be completely unnoticeable, but I will probably have to point it out to most folks when the train is rolling.  Here are some shots of the 'almost' complete project:













A caveat:  this idea is not new.  For many years modelers have been "kitbashing"
their rolling stock and adding power to freight equipment.  Just thought I'd share my little project.

Regards,

Jonathan

P.S. It was fun to run a little train with a 'ghost' locomotive in front.

[richg]

Nice Jonathan.
This might inspire some who have an unpowerd loco that they would like to run ahead of the box car.

Rich

[jonathan]

Thanks, Rich.

Now all I need is some 'inspiration' on what kind of believable appliance I can put on the end of a 50' box car, to cover the loco frame's overhang.

I was thinking of a rumble seat for hobos, but that might draw too much attention to a car that's not suppose to distract one's attention from the rest of the train.

When I'm feeling frisky, I'll redecorate the car to look like an M-61 box car, the last new B&O box car before the end of steam.  The present car is an M-68.  Just need to change the doors and repaint.

Regards,

Jonathan

[richg]

Looks like quite a lot of grinding would be needed on the "front" of the fame. No doubt have to completely strip the frame. I have done tht with a couple sound installs. Strip out everything and grind away with a 4 inch diameter rotary bench sander I picked up off of ebay for $25.00.



I remove the guard sometimes depending on what I am sanding down. It use sticky back paper. I use #80 grit for grinding frames.
Other stuff, usually #150 grit

Rich

[ebtnut]

FWIW, way back in the Jurrasic era an outfit called Lindsey made HO motors and power trucks.  Among the items they marketed was the "Ghost".  it was their smallest motor mounted on an angle and powering one axle of a standard freight car truck.  You needed to cut a hole in car floor, but it would power the box car with no obvious mechanism, hence the name Ghost. 

[Terry Toenges]

Hmmm... Painted camoflauge and a couple of gun turrets where the holes are on top...

[richg]

FWIW, way back in the Jurrasic era an outfit called Lindsey made HO motors and power trucks.  Among the items they marketed was the "Ghost".  it was their smallest motor mounted on an angle and powering one axle of a standard freight car truck.  You needed to cut a hole in car floor, but it would power the box car with no obvious mechanism, hence the name Ghost. 

NWSL sells some nice powered trucks but you would have to add weight. Kind of pricey for converting a boxcar though.

Rich

[RAM]

jonathan, You could have used a steam era 50 foot box.  However the pug door is not one.

[Jerrys HO]

Jonathan,

Maybe you have another old box laying around and you could cut enough off to cover the frame. I have seen some of your projects and you can sure handle that. If you don't have any I may have one I can send to you.

Jerry

[jonathan]

Jerry,

Thanks; as a matter of fact I just found a 50 foot box car: "THE A TEAM" (I can still hear the music in my head).

It will not break my heart to cut a little of the end off to finish this car.  I was thinking faking some kind of storage box or mechanical something or other.  Jury is still out.

Ram,  I just shaved off the plug door and a couple door stops, replaced the stirup steps and found enough decals to do the job.  Can finish the box car without a Youngstown door and install it later, when I find an extra one lying around.

Except for the door and some very, very minor details, the steam era M-61 looks just like the diesel era M-68.

Regards,

Jonathan

[ACY]

That was a pretty good idea, as an aside I can hear the A-team music playing in my head, and I enjoy it when people mention Youngstown, it makes you reminisce about when Youngstown was the second largest steel manufacturer in the United States with the headquarters for U.S. Steel, Republic Steel, Youngtown Sheet & Tube and many more. Now well that is a different story.

[jonathan]

Thanks ACY

A little primer:



A little Devil's Red:





BTW, I don't think anyone really knows what color represents Devil's Red.  I think the B&O was having fun with the competition.  I misted on some Boyds Red (dark), followed by Guards Red (a little brighter), finally a touch of Bright Red)... all while the paints were wet.

Now just need to find some doors...

Enjoy.

Oh, couldn't bring myself to chop up the A Team car.  I'm a sentimental fool.



Regards,

Jonathan

[NMWTRR]

Jonathon

You might try something like this to cover that cut out area. Not sure if it is large enough but a small air conditioner might make sense.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/229-2308.

Also just can't resist you must be saying what the A team used to say: "I love it when a plan comes together!"

[jonathan]

That is just the ticket!  Will see if I can get an LHS to order one to avoid the rediculous shipping fees.

Thanks a million!

I pity the fool (sic) who doesn't love trains. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[Thomas1911]

Jonathan,
The A/C unit that NMWTRR posted is the type used on diesel locomotive cabs. They are approximately 5/16" x 1/4" and wouldn't be large enough to cover the end of your boxcar shell.  I would suggest something along these lines, though they still might not be quite big enough.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?quick=refrigeration